NEWS

US passes bill with regards to Rare earth materials monopoly of China

DETAILS OF THE BILL

• Aims – Reduce the Chinese dependence on rare – earth metals.
• Why – Protect US from threat of rare – earth metal supply disruption
• Encourage the residents to increase domestic production of the rare – earth metals. Ultimately it will reduce the US reliance on China.
• Urges to create a strategic reserve for the rare earth metals, maintained by the Department of Defence and Interiors
• Serve the needs of the tech sector, US army and other essential infrastructural needs.
• Requested the Commerce department to conduct an investigation on unfair trade practices of China.
• Provide higher transparency on the origin of the components.
• Restricts the use of Chinese rare – earth metals in sophisticated defence equipment.

RARE EARTH MATERIALS

• Group of seventeen chemical elements
• Occur together in the periodic table, 15 lanthanides ( Z=57 through 71), Scandium and Yttrium.
• All are metals
• Have many similar properties which often cause them to be found together in geologic deposits.
• Many of them are sold as oxide compounds.
• Which are they – Samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm).